1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a Personal Computer Memory Card International Association (PCMCIA) connector, and in particular to a PCMCIA connector having a dust shielding member for preventing dust from entering into the connector.
2. The Prior Art
PCMCIA cards have been widely used for expanding resources of a computer. Examples of PCMCIA cards are disclosed in Taiwan Patent Application No. 82211048 and U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,519,577 and 5,546,278. Three types of PCMCIA cards are available in the market, namely type I, type II and type III. FIGS. 1A and 1B of the attached drawings show a type I PCMCIA card which has a uniform thickness (h) of 3.3 mm. FIGS. 2A and 2B show a type II PCMCIA card which has a central raised portion with a thickness (H) of 5.0 mm and two thin edges with a thickness (h) of 3.3 mm. A type III PCMCIA card is shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B and includes a hard disk drive (HDD) and a central raised portion with a thickness (H) of 10.5 mm and two thin edges with a thickness (h) of 3.3 mm.
All three types have edges of 3.3 mm receivable in guide channels of a PCMCIA connector. However, for a PCMCIA connector to accommodate all three types of PCMCIA cards, the PCMCIA connector must define a space capable of receiving the 10.5 mm thickness of the type III card. Accordingly, space within the PCMCIA connector is not fully utilized when a type I or type II card is inserted therein. Thus, dirt and dust may enter the PCMCIA connector through the space.
Thus, it is desired to provide a PCMCIA connector comprising a dust shielding device in order to solve the above problem.